He rolled down her window with a press of the lever. “Hopefully during lunchtime tomorrow after I catch some trout.”
She shook her head dismissively and grinned. “You have my number.” And then she was off, darting to her truck.
Yes, he did have her number. She’d given it to him when he’d picked her up for dinner earlier. A recollection shot to his mind then—Justine was about to meet someone named Marci Foster at the lodge.
Hopefully his name wouldn’t come up.
Burke had been as honest as he dared to be with Justine in regard to his job and his recent purchase, not that he’dhadto disclose any details. But would Justine—if she found out about the connection—see his evasiveness as a betrayal? Or would it upset her more that some unknown company would soon purchase the lot and do, quite likely, anything they pleased with it? Possibly turning their town upside down in a blink.
He recalled his latest conversation with his business partner. As they did with all of their new purchases, Greg had listed the property at a sky-high price—ten times the purchase amount—while the two formed a plan. This allowed them to mingle among properties listed in that price range while they prepped the area to be worth about three quarters of that price. The reduced price would grab attention, and the bidding would begin.
In this case, if Burke were honest, it was close to competing already. And here poor Lenny thought he was getting top dollar. It all depended on the buyer, what they planned to build, and how cooperative the county might be in their endeavors.
Still, without aerial shots of the land, and the advanced search tactics they’d put in place down the road, the listing was all but invisible. To make sure it stayed that way, Burke would hold off on the photographer a little longer. In addition, he’d call his business partner first thing in the morning and tell him to keep the high asking price for a while longer. A little wait wouldn’t hurt anything.
But for now, Burke had a more important job to do. One that, if he was lucky, might score him one more date with the woman who was taking claim on the property inside his head.
It was time to check out the cabin’s shed, break open the tackle box, and pick a lucky pole. If Burke wanted to catch the girl, he first needed to catch some fish.
Chapter 12
Justine pressed onto her tiptoes to secure the corner of a banner on Marci Foster’s booth. With the hard press of her thumb, the tape held in place, allowing Justine to let go and take a step back.
Generous light poured into the massive lodge, lighting the surrounding booths. Some were filled, prepped, and ready to go like Callie’s candle booth and Millie’s jam sale. Of course, Millie would bring the fresh-baked bread to go along with it tomorrow. Other booths were still bare, offering only the display card Justine printed out to show the vender’s which booth was theirs.
She should have known she’d beat Marci to the lodge. The woman was late for everything. But at least it had given Justine time to do something special for Burke.
She stepped away from the banner and wandered toward her own booth. There, among the furniture she’d refinished, stood a classic record player. It was one of her favorite pieces yet. With its bold angles and dark blue paint, it was more masculine and polished than most of her pieces.
She’d thought of it the moment Burke told her about his mother’s vinyl record collection, the way they used to listen to one classic rock album after the next. It was funny too, since Justine had designed it to resemble blue onyx, a rare gemstone believed to provide strength, holding properties that offered support in times of confusion or difficulty. Burke had stepped in and done that very thing. Which made the gift, in her mind, all the more appropriate.
She trailed her fingers over the smooth surface, eyes skimming along thesoldcard. Her heart skipped two full beats as she considered the gorgeous resemblance the color had to his blue eyes. Eyes that had captured hers across the table dozens of times that evening. And last night as well.
She glanced back to the sign, willing herself to step away from the piece and head back to Marci’s booth. But in her mind, Justine was reliving the way he’d reached for her hand during dinner, giving it a slight squeeze as he looked at her. And what about the way he’d gushed about her to Gramps? He’d sounded like a man in love. Evenshe’dbought into it. Warmth stirred low in her tummy at the recollection.
Too good.He was too good at playing the part. But some of it was authentic; it had to be. Burke was engaging, charming, flirtatious, and…and destined to leave her with at least a semi-broken heart.
Which was why Justine wanted to cut things off before she got in any deeper. It hadn’t felt good to get out of Burke’s car, not knowing when or if she’d see him again before he left. But that was just it. Whether it was next week or the week following that, Burke would pack up his things and leave Piney Falls.
As much as she wanted to buy into the charade, to believe he did, in fact, have feelings for her, Justine had to see reason. He was simply filling his time with a little lighthearted fun. It was all entertainment for him.
For Justine, things weren’t so lighthearted. In fact, her heart was starting to feel just the opposite—heavy with growing feelings for a man who, in essence,stilldidn’t exist.
A new ache pierced through her at the realization. Burke was flesh and bone like any other man, but the side of him who—in front of Gramps—loved and adored her, the one who’d poured out his feelings and squeezed her hand—hewas as much as an illusion as the engagement itself. A character made to convince her granddad that she was, in fact, loved.
“Looks crooked to me,” came a familiar voice from behind. Justine spun around to see Debbie Barns standing beside Marci, a large tote in her grip. She glared at the banner.
Justine turned her gaze back on the sign. It looked fine to her.
“Yeah,” Debbie persisted. That’s not right.”
Marci tipped her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. “It looks okay to me.”
Justine should have known that Marci would bring the impossible woman along to help her set up. Only that woman’s idea of helping was bossing people around while sharing the town’s latest gossip.
Debbie scowled at the sign, a deep crease marring her forehead. A tight purse pinched her lips, and her balled-up fists moved to her hips. “It’s crooked all right.”
Justine rolled her eyes. “Which side needs to come up?”
